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(No modem] I 2 Sheets8het 1. J-. P. ODONNBLL. DETONATING RAILROADSIGNAL.

Patented Mar.

"(I mnomu. LITROGRAFNNG OOMPANY (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shet 2.

J. P. ODO'NNELL. DETONATING RAILROAD SIGNAL- No. 516,219. I PatentedMar. 13,1894.

I CU 872601130".

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN PATRICK ODONNELL, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

DETONATING RAILROAD-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 516,219, dated March13, 1894.

Application filed June 23, 1893.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN PATRICK ODoN- NELL, a subject of the Queen ofGreat Britain and Ireland, residing at Fingall, Hammelton Road, Bromley,London, in the county of Kent, England, have invented a new and usefulImproved Detonating Railroad-Signal, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention consists in an improved form of operating detonators,applicable either in connection with the switches or signals onrailways.

My apparatus is arranged that if desirable I a detonator maybe placed inposition for explosion when the signal is either in the danger attitudeor in the safety attitude, and if it is desired that the explosion takesplace only in the danger attitude of the signal, then a dummy can befixed or only one opening made in the detonator carrier or disk.

My invention consists of a striking piece fixed adjacent to the rail,which is operated by the tread of the wheel of apassing vehicle orlocomotive. Working with the striker and forming part of it, is asuitable spring. Underneath the striker is. the disk which is em ployedfor carrying the detonators from the magazineinto position underneaththe striker and on the top of the base plate. In the disk are arrangedtwo openings into which the detonators fall or are forced from themagazine, by the spring, into position.

For the purposes of description the drawings illustrate two openings inthe disk; in the normal position one of these is arranged at the openingof the magazine for the detonators to be pressed into position in theopening of the carrying disk, and when the disk is revolved half arevolution the end in which the detonator is held is moved into positionunder the striker; the other hole or opening in the carrying disk is nowin position to receive a second detouator from the magazine. The baseplate is arranged beveled, and on each side between the striker and themagazine are openings for the discharge of what remains of the explodeddetonators to fall clear of the machine.

Attached to the machine is acircular mag- Serial No. 478,681. (Nomodel.)

corresponding to the top of the detonator, which is employed forpressing the detonators into position.

The means I employ for operating the machine consist in a rack andpinion movement, the rack being attached to the signal wire inconnection with any known means for insuring a certainty of movementevery time. By this means I insure that the carrying disk always'movesexactly into the same position for charging and for explosion.

In order that my invention may be better understood and more readilycarried into effect I will proceed to describe the drawings hereuntoannexed.

The same letters refer to the same parts in the several figures of thedrawings.

Figure 1 is an elevation of my apparatus, showing the relative positionsof the parts of my machine in contact with the rail. Fig. 2 is a plan ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section X-Y of Fig, 1. Fig. 4 is a section VW ofFig. 1. Fig. 5 is a section T-U of the magazine Fig. 1.

a is the upper part of the striker.

b is a spiral spring working in a recess surrounding the lower part ofa.

c is the lower part of the striker and is a separate piece.

01 is a pin inserted to make the upper and lower parts of the strikeroperate as one provided the spring is not compressed.

e is a bolt inserted in the side to keep the pin 01 in position.

f is a small hole provided when 6 is Withdrawn for driving the pin out.

g is the rail.

h, h are bolts for bolting my machine to the web of the rail.

j is the cover or case in which all the moving parts operate.

It, 7c are rollers provided for easing the movement of the carrier,operating in connection with the pinion and holding the rack inposition.

Z is the disk.

Z is the base of the cover j on which the disk Z is supported.

m is the pinion and n the rack.

0 is the magazine. J v

0 is the spindle round which the spring 0 is coiled. 7 k

0 is the finger keyed to the spindle 0. having a termination 0corresponding to the top of the detonators.

0 is a pin to which is attached the end of the coiled spring.

0 is a stud for holding the other end of the coiled spring.

In loading the magazine the finger o is turned back against the force ofthe coiled.

spring 0 and the detonators are inserted in the space 0 the reardetonator being in contact with the termination 0 of the spindle. Owingto the curvature of the space 0 the faces of adjacent detonators willnot be engaged at all points but will be slightly separated at the outerperiphery of the space 0 This will not, however, in any manner afiectthe proper feeding of the detonators from the magazine.

a is a slot in the uppert part of the striker a. The spring I)interposed between the parts a and c of the striker is sufficientlyrigid to cause them to move together to a sufficient extent to explodethe detonator, and with a tire that is comparatively unworn the springwill not be compressed. If, however, the tire of a wheel has become wornto a considerable extent the flange of such wheel will be on a lowerlevel and will therefore have a tendency to force the striker down lowerthan is necessary to cause the explosion and thereby injure themechanism. To obviate this danger I provide a slot at in the upper partof the striker to permit it to have a downward movement over the pin d,independently of the lower part of the striker, and I also provide aspace a between the lower end of the part a. and the part c. Thisarrangement permits the upper part- Ct to have a movement independent ofthe part c to compress the spring b and the several parts are therebyrelieved of undue strain. The bevels Z are provided for raising thestriker after the explosion. They come in contact with the under side ofthe striker and raise it and it remains raised as long as the fullportion of l is underneath, but as soon as the opening in the carryingdisk with the detonator is in position underneath the striker the bevelsare then in operation and allow the striker to rest upon the detonator.The base Z is provided with openings pp, through which the remains ofthe exploded detonators are discharged.

The action of myinvention is as follows The detonator is in position forexplosion. On the passage of a wheel over the striker a the latter isforced down on the detonator until, under normal conditions, the parts 00 come in contact with the full parts Z ,Z on either side of the beveledpart of the carrying disk. Assuming the normal position of the signal tobe danger (and the explosion has taken place),when the signal lever inthe cabin operating the apparatus is worked over and the signal is putto thesafety attitude to allow the passage of a train, the disk Z ismoved round through the pinion by means of the rack (which is operatedby the signal wire) revolving the pinion and turning the disk Z halfround so that the opening'r in which the detonator has been exploded ismoved round into communication with the magazine. During the movement ofthe opening 0" from the point of explosion to the magazine it will passover one of the openings p in the base plate Z and the remains of theexploded detonator will fall from the opening 7' in the disk and bedischarged from the machine through the opening 13. When the opening hasarrived in position the finger 0 through the spring, forces anotherdetonator into the opening. If the signal is now put to danger, thereverse action takes place upon the rack, the pinion is moved and in itsturn returns the carrying disk Z so that the opening 4' withthedetonator is moved into position under the striker. If now a movement ofa train takes place over the striker in the danger position of thesignalthedetonator is exploded. If it is desired that the ex plosion shalltake place only in the danger position of the signal then there needonly be one opening provided, or if two, the second opening may befilled with a dummy, operat ing in such manner that after the explosionin the danger position of the signal, when the signal is worked to thesafety attitude the dummy is under the striker. The dummy is arrangedwith a recess corresponding with the projection on the under side of thestriker and acts so that when in position under the striker theprojection falls into the recess in the dummy, the striker then beingbelow the level of the rail. The striker rises immediately the rack andpinion are operated by replacing the signal to the danger attitude. Inthat working, the hole in the disk with the detonator is moved inposition under the striker. Another reason for forming the recess in thedummy is that it may slide freely under the part where the magazinecharges the disk so that the detonators cannot fall the recess beingsmaller than the detonator.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-- p 1. In a detonating railway signal, thecombination of a striker in a suitable case the latter bolted to the webof the rail, with arevolving disk for carrying the detonators intoposition under the striker, all substantially as described withreference to the drawings annexed.

2. In a detonating railway signal, the combination of a revolving diskprovided with one or more openings for moving the detonators from themagazine into position under the striker, of a rack and pinion movementoperating the said disk, all substantially as described with referenceto the drawings annexed.

3. In a detonating railway signal the combination, as hereinbeforedescribed, of a circular magazine in which a finger or operating pieceis fixed, a spring working in connection therewith so that thedetonators are moved Q into position as the hole in the carrying disk ismoved into the magazine, all substantially as described with referenceto the drawings annexed.

4. In a detonating railway signal, the combination with the striker a,'of the spring I) acting as connecting the two parts a and c of thestriker by means of the pin, the whole operating that any deviation fromthe normal movement of the striker is taken up by means

